Hinge assembly

ABSTRACT

A hinge assembly for a container, for example, for an outdoor storage container, is disclosed. The hinge assembly may mount a lid to an end panel of the container and include at least one hinge block having a first section mountable to the end panel and a second section having a through hole, and a circular rod adapted to engage the through hole and engage a through hole in the lid. The hinge assembly is adapted to allow rotation of the lid about the axis of the circular rod. The hinge assembly may be adapted to allow at least 180 degrees of rotation of the lid without obstruction. The hinge assembly may include means for supporting the lid in an open position, for example, a rod or chain. The hinge blocks may be made from wood, for example, laminated teak or cedar having varying grain directions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of copending applicationSer. No. 10/752,208 filed on Jan. 6, 2004 [attorney docket no. 2258.002]which claims priority to and contains subject matter which is related toco-assigned U.S. Design Application No. 29/193,656, entitled “StorageBox”, filed Nov. 12, 2003 [attorney docket no. 2258.001], the disclosureof which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, generally, to a storage container, moreparticularly, to a storage container having hinged lids mounted on bothends and a centrally-located removable lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The popularity of outdoor activity has promoted increased design andmanufacture of outdoor furniture, for example, for use by the pool, nearthe slopes, or on the deck. Included among the types of outdoorfurniture commonly available include storage containers, for example,supply cabinets, ice chests, and buffet tables, and the like. However,conventional storage containers are typically limited to a singlefunction, for example, storage, and do not provide multiple functions.In addition, conventional storage containers do not facilitate use bythe end user. Thus, there is a need in the art to provide multiplefunction storage containers that are versatile and provide ease of use.

Aspects of the present invention overcome these and other disadvantagesof the prior art storage containers, in particular, prior art outdoorstorage containers.

SUMMARY OF ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is a storage container including anenclosure having an open top, a bottom, a first end, and a second endopposite the first end; a first lid pivotally mounted to the first end,the first lid adapted to cover at least some of the open top; and atleast one second lid detachably mounted between the first end and thesecond end, the second lid adapted to cover at least some of the opentop. In one aspect of the invention, the storage container furtherincludes a third lid pivotally mounted to the second end, the third lidadapted to cover at least some of the open top.

Another aspect of the invention is a hinge assembly for use with astorage container having a lid and an end panel, the lid having a thoughhole, the hinge assembly including at least one hinge block mountable tothe end panel, the at least one hinge block having a through hole; and acircular rod adapted to engage the through hole in the at least onehinge block and engage the through hole in the lid; wherein the lid canfreely rotate about the circular rod.

A further aspect of the invention is a liquid collector for a lid of astorage box, the liquid collector comprising: an elongated member havingan elongated recess in the elongated member for collecting liquid andmeans for mounting the member to the lid wherein the elongated recess ispositioned to collect liquid discharged from the lid.

Thus, aspects of the present invention provide improved storagecontainers, for example, improved storage containers for outdoor use.Aspects of the present invention combine the features of storage andserving in a single convenient and user-friendly container. Thoughaspects of the present invention are suitable for use outdoors, certainaspects of the present invention are also amenable to indoor use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The subject matter that is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, andadvantages of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing detailed description of aspects of the invention taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage container according to oneaspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the storage container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the storage container shown inFIG. 1, where the rear elevational view is a mirror image thereof.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the storage container shownin FIG. 1, where the left side elevational view is a mirror imagethereof.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another aspect of the present invention,where the outer lids of the storage container of FIG. 1 are shownpartially opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another aspect of the invention, wherethe outer lids of the storage container of FIG. 1 are shown opened to ahorizontal position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another aspect of the present invention,where the outer lids of the storage container of FIG. 1 are shown openedto a downwardly-directed vertical position and a center lid isseparated.

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a hinge assembly according to one aspect ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 are side elevation views of the hinge assembly shownin FIG. 8 showing different orientations of the lid.

FIG. 12 is an elevation view of a hinge block according to one aspect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the hinge block shown in FIG. 12 asviewed along lines 13-13 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a liquid collector shown in FIG. 7according to one aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid collector shown in FIG.14 as viewed along view lines 15-15 in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternate aspect of the presentinvention, portions of which are cut away to illustrate indeterminatelength, which is the sole difference between this aspect and the aspectshown in FIGS. 1 through 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

The details and scope of aspects of the present invention can best beunderstood upon review of the attached figures and their followingdescriptions. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a storage container 10according to one aspect of the present invention. Storage container 10is marketed under the name “Mystic River Storage Box & Buffet” byBrookbend Outdoor Furniture of Hopkinton, Mass. FIG. 2 is a plan view ofthe storage container 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front elevationalview of the storage container 10 shown in FIG. 1, where the rearelevational view is a mirror image thereof. FIG. 4 is a right sideelevational view of the storage container 10 shown in FIG. 1, where theleft side elevational view is a mirror image thereof. Storage container10 includes a main body or enclosure 11 having an open top (see FIG. 5),a first end 12 and a second end 13, two side panels 14, two end panels15, and a bottom panel 16 (not shown). According to this aspect of theinvention, storage container 10 also includes at least one hinged lid16, 17, and one or more removable or free lids 18. Hinged lids 16 and 17may be pivotally mounted to end panels 15 by means of hinge assembly 20.(The details of hinge assembly 20 are shown in FIG. 8.) Free lid 18 isadapted to movably mount to the top of main body 11, for example,slidably mount or removably mount to the top of main body 11. Main body11 may be formed by joining side panels 14 and end panels 15 at theirrespective ends. As shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, in one aspect of theinvention, side panels 14 and end panels 15 may be joined to verticalsupports 21. Vertical supports 21 may be about the same length as thewidth of side panels 14 and end panels 15 or, as shown in FIGS. 1-4,vertical supports 21 may be longer than the width of side panels 14 andend panels 15 wherein vertical supports 21 provide extensions thatelevate side panels 14 and end panels 15 above the surface upon whichstorage box 10 is placed.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the operation of lids 16, 17, and 18 ofstorage container 10 according to one aspect of the present invention.FIG. 5 is a perspective view of storage container 10 shown in FIG. 1 inwhich hinged lids 16 and 17 are shown partially opened. FIG. 6 is aperspective view of storage container 10 shown in FIG. 1 in which hingedlids 16 and 17 are shown opened to a horizontal position, for example,to provide a horizontal serving surface. FIG. 7 is a perspective view ofstorage container 10 shown in FIG. 1 in which hinged lids 16 and 17opened to a downwardly-directed vertical position and a free lid 18 isshown separated from main body 11. As shown, in FIG. 5, according to oneaspect of the invention, lids 16 and 17 may be restrained in theiropened position by one or more tension members 22 (shown in phantom),for example, a cord, wire, or chain mounted to lids 16, 17 (for example,to the underside of lids 16, 17) and to main body 11, for example, tothe inner side of side panels 14. As shown, in FIG. 6, according to oneaspect of the invention, lids 16 and 17 may be supported in theirhorizontal positions by one or more compression members 24 (shown inphantom), for example, a rod, stick, or pole, which engages lids 16 and17 and main body 11, for example, engages end panel 15. As also shown inFIG. 6, free lid 18 may be free to slidably move along the upper rim ofmain body 11 as shown by the double arrow 26.

As shown in FIG. 7, free lid 18 may also be removed from main body 11.For example, in one aspect of the invention, free lid 18 may be removedto allow access into the inside of main body 11. In one aspect of theinvention, free lid 18 may be removed from main body 11 and provide aserving tray, for example, for the food or beverage stored in storagecontainer 10. FIG. 7 also illustrates a liquid collector or water lip 40mounted to free lid 18 according to one aspect of the present invention.(The details of liquid collector 40 are illustrated and described withrespect to FIGS. 14 and 15 below.) As shown in FIG. 7, liquid collector40 is adapted to be mounted to one or more lids 16, 17, or 18 and be fitwithin the open top of storage container 10 when lids 16, 17, or 18 isin the closed position. In one aspect, free lid 18 may comprise one ormore (or a plurality of) removable or detachably mounted lids 18, forexample, lids 18 a and 18 b shown in phantom in FIG. 7.

FIGS. 5 and 6 also illustrate typical uses of storage container 10. Forexample, in one aspect of the invention, storage container 10 maycontain removable sub-containers 22 (shown in phantom), for example,removable buckets for storing ice, beverages, food, and likecomestibles. In another aspect of the invention, storage container 10may be used to store articles, for example, seat cushions 24 (shown inphantom), toys, towels, pool accessories, supplies, and related articlesused for pleasure or entertaining, for instance, when storage box 10 islocated near a patio, pool, or beach.

FIG. 8 illustrates a detailed perspective view of the hinge assembly 20according to one aspect of the present invention. Hinge assembly 20includes at least one hinge block 30 having a through hole 32 and atleast one dowel pin 34 which passes through one or more through holes 32and though at least one corresponding through hole in lid 16. Accordingto one aspect of the invention, at least two hinge blocks 30 may be usedto attach lid 16, for example, three or even four or more hinge blocks30 may be used. Lid 16 includes at least one notch 36 into which one ormore hinge blocks 30 may be inserted. Though lid 16 is shown in FIG. 8,hinge assembly 20 may also be used for mounting lid 17.

FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 illustrate side elevation views of hinge assembly 20shown in FIG. 8 showing different orientations of the lid 16. In FIG. 9,lid 16 is positioned in a horizontal position wherein at least part ofenclosure 11 is covered. In FIG. 10, lid 16 is oriented at an angle tothe horizontal, for example, between about 30 and 60 degrees, forinstance, as supported by a chain 22 shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 11, lid 16is positioned in a vertical position, for example, as shown in FIG. 7.According to one aspect of the invention, lid 16 is mounted to enclosure11 wherein lid 16 may be rotated at least 90 degrees from the horizontalposition shown in FIG. 9. In one aspect of the invention, lid 16 may berotated at least 180 degrees, and typically, at least 270 degrees fromthe horizontal position shown in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, hinge block 30 may be mounted to end panel 15 bymeans of conventional fastening means, for example, by means of anadhesive and/or one or more mechanical fasteners 38, for example, one ormore wood screws and/or one or more dowel pins.

FIG. 12 illustrates an elevation view of one hinge block 30 according toone aspect of the present invention. FIG. 13 illustrates a sideelevation view of hinge block 30 shown in FIG. 12 as viewed along viewlines 13-13. As shown in FIG. 12, hinge block 30 may comprise a firstsection 42 which is adapted to be mounted to an end panel, for example,end panel 15 of enclosure 11, and a second section 44 having a throughhole 46 adapted to accept a rod, for example, rod 34 shown in FIG. 8.First section 42 may be generally a rectangular parallelepiped in shape.In one aspect of the invention, first section 42 may include radiusedcorners 48, 50, for example, having radiuses between about 10 mm andabout 20 mm, for example, in one aspect of the invention corner 48 mayhave a radius of about 12.5 mm, and corner 50 may have a radius of about17 mm. First section 42 may also be circular cylindrical in shape, forexample, a semicircular shape. First section 42 may include one or moredowel pin holes 52 for engaging one or more dowel pins mounted in endpanels 15. In one aspect of the invention, dowel pin holes 52 may bepositioned along the centerline of hinge 30, as shown in FIG. 13, but inanother aspect of the invention dowel pin holes 52 may be staggered oroff centerline. Dowel pin holes 52 may typically have a diameter ofbetween about 5 mm and about 15 mm, for example, in one aspect of theinvention, dowel pin holes 52 may have a diameter of about 10 mm. Dowelpin holes 52 may typically have a depth of between about 5 mm and about20 mm, for example, in one aspect of the invention, dowel pin holes 52may have a depth of about 16 mm.

In one aspect of the invention, second section 44 may comprise arectangular or a semi-circular section, for example, a semi-circularprojection on first section 42. Second section 44 may be radiused andhave a radius 54 of between about 10 to 30 mm, for example, in oneaspect of the invention, radius 54 may be about 18 mm. Through hole 46may have a diameter of between about 5 mm and about 15 mm, for example,in one aspect of the invention, through hole 46 may have a diameter ofabout 10 mm. A geometric transition 56 may be provided between firstsection 42 and second section 44. Transition 56 may have a radius ofbetween about 10 mm and about 30 mm, for example, in one aspect of theinvention, transition 56 may have a radius of about 22 mm.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, hinge block 30 has a length 58, a firstwidth 60, a second width 61, and a thickness 62. According to one aspectof the invention, length 58 may be between about 50 mm and about 200 mm,for example, in one aspect of the invention, length 58 may be about 108mm. According to one aspect of the invention, first width 60 may bebetween about 30 mm and about 100 mm, for example, in one aspect of theinvention, first width 60 may be about 50 mm. According to one aspect ofthe invention, second width 61 may be between about 12 mm and about 75mm, for example, in one aspect of the invention, second width 61 may beabout 22 mm. According to one aspect of the invention, thickness 62 maybetween about 12 mm and about 400 mm, for example, in one aspect of theinvention, thickness 62 may be about 37 mm.

Sections 42 and 44 may comprise an integral component made of one ormore materials, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, or a two-part componentcomprised of one or more materials. In one aspect of the invention,hinge block 30 may be made from any convenient structural material, forexample, hinge block 30 may be metallic or non-metallic. In one aspectof the invention, hinge block 30 may be metallic and be made from iron,steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or any other structuralmetal. In one aspect of the invention, hinge block 30 may be made fromplastic, for example, from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP),polyester (PE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), among otherplastics. In one aspect of the invention, hinge block 30 may be madefrom wood, for example, hardwood, for instance, teak, birch, cherry,ash, oak, chestnut, aspen, maple, or eucalyptus, or softwood, forinstance, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, juniper, hemlock, or other suitablewoods. In one aspect of the invention, hinge block 30 may be made fromcomposite materials, for example, laminated wood-containing materials,or plywood.

In one aspect of the invention, hinge block 30 may be made fromlaminated wood, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, hinge block 30 may bemade from at least two, or at least three, wood laminations 64, 65, and66. Laminations 64, 65, and 66 may comprise the same or dissimilar wood.In one aspect of the invention, the inner lamination 65 may have itswood grain oriented in a different direction than the direction of thewood grain in the outer laminations 64 and 66. For example, in oneaspect, inner lamination 65 may have its wood grain oriented in ageneral direction substantially parallel to thickness 62 of hinge block30 and outer laminations 64 and 66 may have their wood grains orientedin a general direction substantially parallel to the length 58 of hingeblock 30. In other aspects of the invention, the direction of the woodgrain in laminations 64, 65, and 66 may be non-parallel or oblique tothe direction of the thickness 62 and length 58 of hinge block 30.

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a liquid collector 40 shown inFIG. 7 above. According to this aspect of the present invention, and asshown in FIG. 7, liquid collector 40 may be mounted to one or more lids16, 17, or 18 to minimize or prevent the leakage of liquids between thelids of storage container 10. FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional viewof liquid collector 40 as viewed along view lines 15-15 in FIG. 14. Asshown in FIG. 14, liquid collector 40 comprises an elongated member,plate, or board 70 having one or more elongated recesses or troughs 72extending in the direction of elongation of board 70. As shown in FIG.15, board 70 is mounted to a lid whereby trough 72 is positioned underthe gap 74 between two adjacent lids. In the aspect of the inventionshown in FIG. 15, representative lids 16 and 17 (See FIGS. 1-7.) areshown in phantom to show the relationship of liquid collector 40 to thelids and to the gap 74 between the lids. The edges and depth of trough72 may be radiused as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. As shown in FIGS. 14 and15, trough 72 may be positioned to one side of board 70, that is, wherethe centerline of trough 72 is not aligned with the centerline of board70, though in another aspect of the invention, trough 72 may bepositioned along the centerline of board 70.

Plate or board 70 may comprise an integral component made of one or morematerials, as shown in FIG. 14 and 15, or a two-part component comprisedof one or more materials. In one aspect of the invention, plate or board70 may be made from any convenient structural material, for example,plate or board 70 may be metallic or non-metallic. In one aspect of theinvention, plate or board 70 may be made metallic and be from iron,steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or any other structuralmetal. In one aspect of the invention, plate or board 70 may be madefrom plastic, for example, from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP),polyester (PE), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), among otherplastics. In one aspect of the invention, plate or board 70 may be madefrom wood, for example, hardwood, for instance, teak, birch, cherry,ash, oak, chestnut, aspen, maple, or eucalyptus, or softwood, forinstance, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, juniper, hemlock, or other suitablewoods. In one aspect of the invention, plate or board 70 may be madefrom composite materials, for example, laminated wood-containingmaterials, or plywood.

Liquid collector 40 may be mounted to a lid, for example, to lid 16, bymechanical fasteners, adhesives, or welding. In one aspect of theinvention, liquid collector 40 may be mounted to a lid by means of oneor more dowel pins 76 and one or more screws 78. Board or plate 70 maybe provided with pre-drilled holes 77 to insert screws 78. For example,in the aspect of the invention shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, liquidcollector 40 is mounted to a lid by means of three dowel pins 76 andthree counter-sunk screws.

According to one aspect of the invention, liquid collector 40 may have alength from between about 200 mm and about 1000 mm, for example, in oneaspect of the invention, liquid collector 40 may be about 550 mm inlength. According to one aspect of the invention, liquid collector 40may have a width from between about 50 mm and about 500 mm, for example,in one aspect of the invention, liquid collector 40 may be about 70 mmin width. According to one aspect of the invention, liquid collector 40may have a thickness from between about 5 mm and about 100 mm, forexample, in one aspect of the invention, liquid collector 40 may beabout 20 mm thick. The length and width of trough 72 will typically be afunction of the length and width of plate or board 70. In one aspect ofthe invention, the length of trough 72 is typically about 90% of thelength of board 70 and the width of trough 72 is about 50% of the widthof board 70. In one aspect of the invention, where the length of board70 is about 500 mm, the length of trough 72 may be about 450 mm, andwhere the width of board 70 is about 70 mm, the width of trough 72 maybe about 35 mm.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a storage container 110 according toanother aspect of the present invention. According to the aspect of theinvention shown in FIG. 16, portions of storage container 110 have beencut away to illustrate the indeterminate length of storage container110, which is the sole difference between storage container 110 andstorage container 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. Similar to storagecontainer 10, storage container 110 includes a main body 111 having afirst end 112 and a second end 113, two side panels 114, two end panels115, and a bottom panel 116 (not shown). According to this aspect of theinvention, storage container 110 also includes at lest one hinged lid116, 117, and one or more free lids 118. Hinged lids 116 and 117 may bepivotally mounted to end panels 115 by means of hinge assembly 120,which may by similar to hinge assembly 20 shown in FIG. 8. One or morefree lids 118 may be adapted to movably mount to the top of main body111, in a manner similar to free lid 18 discussed above. Also, hingedlids 116 and 117 may be adapted to pivotally rotate in a manner similarto hinged lids 16 and 17 discussed above.

The components of storage containers 10 and 110 may be made from anyconvenient structural material. The components of storage containers 10and 110 may be metallic or non-metallic. In one aspect of the invention,the components of storage containers 10 and 110 may be metallic and bemade from iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or any otherstructural metal. In one aspect of the invention, the components ofstorage containers 10 and 110 may be made from plastic, for example,from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyester (PE),acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), among other plastics.

In one aspect of the invention, the components of storage containers 10and 110 may be made from wood, for example, hardwood, for instance,teak, birch, cherry, ash, oak, chestnut, aspen, maple, or eucalyptus; orsoftwood, for instance, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, juniper, hemlock, orother suitable woods. In one aspect of the invention, the components ofstorage containers 10 and 110 may be made from composite materials, forexample, laminated wood-containing materials, or plywood. In one aspect,the components may be made from marine-grade plywood.

The components of storage containers 10 and 110 may be fabricated fromunitary structures, such as single plates or boards, or they may befabricated from component parts. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-9, thecomponents of storage containers 10 and 110, that is, the lids 16, 17,and 18; side panels 14; end panels 15; and bottom panel 16 may befabricated from assembled parts. In one aspect of the invention, thecomponents may be fabricated from individual components, for example,wood slats, mounted in a frame, for example, a wooden frame. Thecomponents of storage containers 10 and 110 may be fabricated fromconventional means, for example, using adhesives (such as waterresistant or water-proof glues), mechanical fasteners (such as nails,screws, bolts and nuts) or welding (when fabricated from weldablematerial). When mechanical fasteners are used, in one aspect of theinvention, components of storage containers 10 and 110 may be fabricatedwherein the mechanical fasteners are not visible. However, in one aspectof the invention, the components of storage containers 10 and 110 may befabricated using mortise and tenon joinery.

Though there is no limit to the size of storage containers 10 and 110,in one aspect of the invention, storage containers 10 and 110 may havean overall length of between about 2 feet and about 12 feet, forexample, in one aspect of the invention, storage containers 10 and 110may have a length of about 5 feet. In one aspect of the invention,storage containers 10 and 110 may have a height of between about 1 footand about 5 feet, for example, in one aspect of the invention, storagecontainers 10 and 110 may have a height of about 29 inches. In oneaspect of the invention, storage containers 10 and 110 may have a widthof between about 1 foot and about 5 feet, for example, in one aspect ofthe invention, storage containers 10 and 110 may have a width of about24.5 inches.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, features,characteristics, and/or advantages of the storage containers describedherein, may be applied and/or extended to any embodiment (for example,applied and/or extended to any portion thereof).

Although several aspects of the present invention have been depicted anddescribed in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in therelevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, andthe like can be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionand these are therefore considered to be within the scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

1. A hinge assembly for use with a container having a lid and an endpanel, the lid having a through hole, the hinge assembly comprising: atleast one hinge block having a first section mountable to the end paneland a second section having a through hole; and a circular rod adaptedto engage the through hole in the at least one hinge block and engagethe through hole in the lid, the circular rod having an axis; whereinthe hinge assembly is adapted to allow rotation of the lid about theaxis of the circular rod.
 2. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 1,wherein the hinge assembly is adapted to allow at least about 180degrees of rotation of the lid about the circular rod.
 3. The hingeassembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the hinge assembly is adapted toallow at least about 270 degrees of rotation of the lid about thecircular rod.
 4. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein thehinge assembly further comprises means for supporting the lid in an openposition.
 5. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein the meansfor supporting the lid comprises means for supporting the lid in asubstantially horizontal open position.
 6. The hinge assembly as recitedin claim 5, wherein the means for supporting the lid in a substantiallyhorizontal open position comprises at least one compression member. 7.The hinge assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least onecompression member comprises at least one of a rod, a stick, and a pole.8. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least onehinge block comprises at least two hinge blocks.
 9. The hinge assemblyas recited in claim 1, wherein the storage container lid comprises atleast one notch, and wherein the at least one hinge block is adapted toengage the at least one notch.
 10. The hinge assembly as recited inclaim 1, wherein the first section of the hinge block is mountable to anoutside surface of the end panel.
 11. The hinge assembly as recited inclaim 10, wherein the first section of the hinge block is mountable toan outside surface of the end panel by means of mechanical fasteners.12. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the first sectionof the hinge block comprises a parallelepiped.
 13. The hinge assembly asrecited in claim 12, wherein the parallelepiped includes at least oneradiused corner.
 14. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 1, whereinthe second section of the at least one hinge block comprises asemicircular projection on the first section of the at least one hingeblock.
 15. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprisinga radiused transition between the first section and the second sectionof the at least one hinge block.
 16. The hinge assembly as recited inclaim 1, wherein the at least one hinge block comprises a wooden hingeblock.
 17. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein the atleast one wooden hinge block comprises a laminated wooden hinge block.18. The hinge assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein the at least onelaminated wooden hinge block comprises laminations having varying graindirections.
 19. A hinge block comprising: a first parallelepiped sectionmountable to an end panel of a container; and a second semicircularsection projecting from the first section and having a through holeadapted to receive a circular rod; wherein the geometric transition fromthe first section to the second section are smoothly radiused.
 20. Thehinge block as recited in claim 19, wherein the hinge block comprises alaminated wooden hinge block comprising a plurality of laminationshaving varying grain directions.